Czytaj książkę: «Shadows On The Lake»

Courtney stood on the deck and watched the wake of the boat disappear in the distance

She and Neil were from two different worlds, and she ought to have the sense to realize it. Sighing, she turned to go into the houseboat.

“I’m back.” A haunting emptiness echoed her words.

She stiffened as an undefined apprehension assaulted her from the dark gloom of the houseboat. Something was wrong. Her heart was suddenly pounding as she bounded to her sleeping compartment to check on her baby.

She froze in the doorway when she saw that the bassinet was empty and the diaper bag was gone. She spun on her heels. She searched everywhere…but found nothing, no one.

There was no sign of her baby on the floating house….

Dear Harlequin Intrigue Reader,

This month you’ll want to have all six of our books to keep you company as you brave those April showers!

 Debra Webb kicks off THE ENFORCERS, her exciting new trilogy, with John Doe on Her Doorstep. And for all of you who have been waiting with bated breath for the newest installment in Kelsey Roberts’s THE LANDRY BROTHERS series, we have Chasing Secrets.

 Rebecca York, Ann Voss Peterson and Patricia Rosemoor join together in Desert Sons. You won’t want to miss this unique three-in-one collection!

 Two of your favorite promotions are back. You won’t be able to resist Leona Karr’s ECLIPSE title, Shadows on the Lake. And you’ll be on the edge of your seat while reading Jean Barrett’s Paternity Unknown, the latest installment in TOP SECRET BABIES.

 Meet another of THE PRECINCT’s rugged lawmen in Julie Miller’s Police Business.

Every month you can depend on Harlequin Intrigue to deliver an array of thrilling romantic suspense and mystery. Be sure you read each one!

Sincerely,

Denise O’Sullivan

Senior Editor

Harlequin Intrigue

Shadows on the Lake
Leona Karr

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

A native of Colorado, Leona (Lee) Karr is the author of nearly forty books. Her favorite genres are romantic suspense and inspirational romance. After graduating from the University of Colorado with a B.A. and the University of Northern Colorado with an M.A., she taught as a reading specialist until her first book was published in 1980. She has been on the Waldenbooks bestseller list and nominated by Romantic Times for Best Romantic Saga and Best Gothic Author. She has been honored as the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writer of the Year, and received Colorado’s Romance Writer of the Year Award. Her books have been reprinted in more than a dozen foreign countries. She is a presenter at numerous writing conferences and has taught college courses in creative writing.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Courtney Collins—A single mother who is the victim of a dangerous deception. What is the fate of her baby boy?

Neil Ellsworth—Drawn into a tangled mesh of love and danger, Neil has secrets of his own. Can the single mother whose baby is missing break down the walls of his hardened heart?

Devanna Davenport—Courtney’s aunt has agreed to help her niece under false pretenses. What is the truth hidden in the darkest depths of her personality?

Detective McGrady—This dedicated sleuth with a big heart tracks a murderous kidnapper.

Jake Delaney—An angry business associate who threatens revenge. But will he have to pay the ultimate price in the end?

Steve Woodward—What will happen when the police discover his participation in investment fraud?

Harold Jensen—This kind gentleman had no idea that his past acquaintance with Devanna would forever seal his fate.

Contents

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Prologue

Dark waters of a mountain lake quietly rippled as a lone woman eased the rowboat to a small dock beside a floating houseboat. After quickly tying up the boat, she made sure there was no sign of the passenger she had left behind in the middle of the lake. It was done, she thought with satisfaction, quietly laughing to herself. She really did have a talent for this sort of thing. Buzz would be proud of her.

From the beginning she’d followed his instructions. She’d made friends with a middle-aged woman, Devanna Davenport, who had rented a houseboat on Lake Manitou, Idaho, and invited her niece and baby to join her for the summer. Fortunately, all arrangements had been made by telephone, and her offer to help Devanna get settled had been accepted. They had arrived at the houseboat that afternoon. As she moved away from the rowboat, a short, otherworldly chuckle escaped her lips.

Inside the houseboat, she unlocked a small locker, and placed her handgun inside. Then she took out a picture of a rugged, stern-looking man wearing a cowboy hat and western clothes. As she held the photo only a few inches from her face, she could feel his breath and read the message in his dark, hypnotic eyes. She had borne the guilt of their aborted bank robbery when he had been shot to death. But Buzz was still with her, still in charge. Willingly, she continued to do his bidding. As his silent voice had instructed, she had arranged to get her hands on a baby boy, and had also found a place to hide until Buzz ordered her to kill and rob again.

“Our son will be here soon,” she promised him.

Chapter One

“We’re almost there, Jamie,” Courtney said as she turned her small car into the parking lot of a café on the outskirts of the bustling resort town of Manitou, Idaho. She smiled back at her four-month-old son as he opened his deep blue eyes. He’d been changed and fed at their last stop, and had been sleeping peacefully in his carrier until the motion of the car stopped.

“I need to stretch my legs, look at a map, and we’ll be on our way,” she chatted as she got out of the car then reached into the back seat to unfasten his carrier. Being a mother did wonders for developing muscles, she mused as she slung her purse over one shoulder, a diaper bag over the other one, and lifted the baby carrier out of the car. “Here we go, fellow. This is our last stop before we get home.”

Home? The word had a mocking sound to it, and Courtney quickly shoved it away. A few weeks’ visit with an aunt she hadn’t seen since childhood was not a homecoming. During the long drive from Cheyenne, Wyoming, she had begun to question her decision to accept Aunt Devanna’s invitation to join her in Manitou where she was renting a houseboat for the summer.

Courtney’s husband, Clyde, had been killed in a construction accident a few months before the baby’s birth. Except for Aunt Devanna, there were no other members of Courtney’s family to quell her loneliness. That’s what comes from being an only child, she’d often thought. Her parents had always been on the move because of her father’s uncertain employment, and she’d lost both of them before she was twenty-one. She’d put herself through business college, and had married a strong Irishman more out of loneliness than deep love. The union with Clyde Collins had not been one made in heaven.

“You’re just tired. Everything will look different when you get some rest,” she said, silently encouraging herself as she crossed the parking lot. She felt a decade older than her twenty-nine years, and more alone than ever before.

She’d planned on arriving before dark but night shadows had already spread across the mountain valley, and they were still about five miles from Lake Manitou. She needed to look at her map of the area to locate Hidden Cove, where the houseboat was anchored.

Bright lights and the bustle of the café welcomed her, and some of the tension that had been building in her neck and arms eased as she quickly made her way to the restroom. She blessed the infant changing table as she changed Jamie’s diaper. He happily giggled as she playfully buried her face in his tummy and told him what a good boy he was.

After a quick look in the mirror, she combed her straight shoulder-length fair hair and washed her face. She might have brushed on some lipstick, but had no idea where to find it in her bulging purse.

Refreshed, she found an empty booth, set the baby’s carrier on the seat, and slipped in beside him. There was a homey feeling about the place, and it seemed popular. Almost all the tables and booths were filled, and Courtney was surprised when a middle-aged waitress came over quickly to take her order.

“What a darling baby,” she cooed. “Look at those beautiful blue eyes.” Jamie rewarded her flattering attention with a wide, toothless smile.

“His name is Jamie. He’s four months,” Courtney offered, unable to keep pride out of her voice.

“I have a granddaughter about that age. They’re such a blessing, aren’t they?” She handed Courtney a menu. “Take a look, and then I’ll catch your order.”

“Oh, I’ll just have coffee, and a ham-and-cheese sandwich.”

“We have a special on a four-ounce steak?”

Courtney shook her head. “Just the sandwich.”

The steak sounded wonderful, and her taste buds began to quiver at the thought, but she’d kept expenses down during the trip by eating light, and avoiding expensive restaurants and motels.

The accidental life-insurance policy the construction company held on all their workers had paid off at Clyde’s death, and if she watched her spending, the money would give her a breathing spell before she had to find some employment.

While she waited for her order, she pulled out a map of the area and spread it on the table. Before she could look at it, Jamie decided he’d had enough of his carrier. His little arms and legs shot out indignantly, and he began to raise a fuss.

“All right, sweetie.” Courtney quickly put him on her lap. It wasn’t time for him to eat again, so she tried to placate him with his water bottle.

Jamie took the nipple, sucked on it a couple of times, and then spit it out. In one wild sweep of his determined little chubby arms, he sent the water bottle and map careening to the floor.

A man sitting at a nearby table was instantly on his feet. He rescued the map and bottle, smiled at Courtney and chuckled, “I think the little fellow has a mind of his own.”

“Thank you,” Courtney said quickly, a little embarrassed. The stranger was good-looking, somewhere in his thirties, she guessed. Impeccably dressed, he wore a summer jacket over a soft, open-collar shirt, and tailored deep brown slacks. She decided he had the polished appearance of a businessman. “I’m sorry to have bothered you.”

“No problem,” he laughingly assured her. “Picking up things is a natural reflex from having more than a dozen nieces and nephews.” He chuckled. “They keep their uncle Neil hopping, all right.”

NEIL WAS SURPRISED when the attractive woman didn’t pick up on the conversational lead he’d given her. Her smile was polite, but nothing more. Usually his most benign comment would spark some interest in the opposite sex, and a friendly conversation would easily follow. She was quite pretty with soft amber hair, arresting blue eyes and a shapely, firm mouth. He had noticed that she wasn’t wearing a wedding ring, and his ego smarted just a little. He rose to the challenge.

“I guess you’re not from the area,” he said indicating the map. “I’ve lived here most of my life. Maybe I can be of help?”

She shifted the baby from one shoulder to the other, and hesitated a moment before she told him, “I’m joining my aunt for the summer. I was looking for Hidden Cove.”

“It’s right here.” He quickly pointed out the location on the map. Pulling a pencil out of his jacket and bending over the map, he marked it.

“Thank you,” she said in that same polite, dismissing tone.

Neil refrained from telling her that Hidden Cove was on the same side of the lake as his home. Her distant and guarded manner didn’t invite any casual chitchat. He returned to his table without introducing himself.

BY THE TIME THE WAITRESS brought Courtney’s order, the baby had settled down with his pacifier. As she quickly ate her sandwich, she sent several secret glances in the stranger’s direction. Shiny, dark wavy hair drifted nicely down on his forehead, and accented dark brown eyes under well-defined brows. His features were strong and well molded. She noticed that several people stopped at “Uncle Neil’s” table to chat with him. From their friendly banter, Courtney concluded he must be well known in the community.

She sighed. As usual she’d handled the situation all wrong. Striking up conversations with strangers had never been easy for her, especially with a man as good-looking as this one. Because her parents had always been on the move, her childhood had been filled with constant warnings about not taking up with people she didn’t know. Unfortunately, she’d carried that admonition into adulthood. As a young adult, she’d never been part of a social group, nor had the chance to develop skills that would have allowed her to pursue an acquaintance with an attractive man who had come to her rescue.

Oh, well, she consoled herself. She’d never see him again, and she wouldn’t have known what to talk to him about anyway. She kept her eyes away from his table as she paid her bill and walked out of the restaurant.

Neil watched her leave, and wished he’d pointed out the road that would take her around the north side of the lake. If she missed the junction, she could wander around for hours on the wrong side, looking for Hidden Cove.

Impulsively, he quickly took care of his tab, and followed her outside, but as he watched her fasten the baby carrier in the car, he hesitated to approach her. She might misinterpret his helpfulness, and he certainly didn’t want to create any kind of a scene. He decided it might be better to get into his own car, and keep a discreet distance behind her as she took the interstate through the center of town. That way, he’d be ready to catch up with her if she missed the correct turnoff.

The prosperous resort town of Manitou hugged the north side of the expansive lake, and frontage roads circled the water on both sides. In his new two-door sports car, it was easy for Neil to keep her taillights in view. When she made the correct turn at the junction, he was pleased.

Most of the women who had passed through his life were totally predictable. No surprises. No challenges. He hadn’t met anyone in a long time who intrigued him. Something about the way the young mother had handled herself gave him the impression that she was an interesting combination of softness and honed steel. He couldn’t believe he’d let her get away without finding out her name. If she wasn’t married, he’d like to know her better. He wondered which one of his neighbors the attractive young mother was going to visit.

His home was one of the scattered, fashionable houses built on the wooded slopes overlooking Hidden Cove. The northern lake road ran between the water’s edge on one side, and steep mountain hillsides on the other. He was puzzled when she began to slow down because all the homes in the cove were still some distance ahead. He stiffened. Was something wrong with her car? Did she have a flat tire?

She kept going at a slow speed as if looking for something. When she pulled into a narrow parking area above the lake, he let out a soft whistle. So that’s where she was headed! Her destination must be one of the houseboats nestled around the cove.

Well, what do you know? he thought. His real estate company handled the rentals on those particular houseboats. As he headed up the steep winding road to his home, he laughed softly. He was pretty sure he could come up with a good reason to drop by and check on his renters.

Courtney found a parking space marked with the number her aunt had written her. She sat in the car for a long minute before getting out. A brisk wind had come up and she could see ruffled water on the dark lake catching glimmers of moonlight as ripples moved restlessly upon the shore. The scene was a foreign one to her. Because she’d never been around the water very much, she’d never learned to swim. Living in a floating house would be a new experience for her, and she wasn’t sure she’d like it all that much. A strange sense of dread settled on her as she sat there and struggled with some undefined reluctance to get out of the car.

“I’m just tired,” she said aloud. “Come on, honey bun. Let’s go meet your auntie.”

Holding the baby securely, she descended narrow steps leading to a narrow dock and the houseboat snugged up to it. She’d unpack the car later when she had Jamie settled. She had brought only necessities with her and had stored her few possessions for the summer.

An orangish light mounted on a high pole above the stairs gave an eerie cast to the brown, boxlike structure. The name of the houseboat, Nevermore, was carved in a wooden sign swinging in the wind, and a small rowboat tethered at the small dock made a moaning, sucking sound.

A sliver of light edged one of the curtained windows and was the only sign of occupancy. Courtney knew Aunt Devanna had only taken possession of the houseboat a few days ago, but she’d written that she had hired a woman to help her get settled.

A relentless flickering of shadows on the surrounding lake, and the play of boards under Courtney’s feet, added to her growing uneasiness as she stepped on the narrow deck of the houseboat and approached the front door.

Shifting the baby, she freed one arm and knocked loudly on the weathered wood. Nothing happened. Not a sound from inside.

She knocked again and the door opened slightly. She sensed someone peeking out, but couldn’t clearly see who it was. Courtney knew her aunt hadn’t seen her since she was a youngster, and they’d never exchanged photographs, so she quickly identified herself.

“It’s me, Aunt Devanna. I’m sorry to be arriving so late. You gave good directions in your letter,” she offered the reassurance. “I found the houseboat without any trouble.”

The door slowly opened and a woman was silhouetted by the small light behind her. Courtney couldn’t see her features clearly as she opened the door wider and motioned her inside.

When she didn’t say anything, Courtney said, “I really appreciate your invitation to come and spend the summer with you.”

As they stepped into the light, Courtney could see that her aunt was a rather plain, sturdy woman, about five foot eleven, with hair obviously dyed to cover any gray. She was plainly dressed in slacks and a pullover, and looked a lot younger and healthier than Courtney had expected.

The frown on her aunt’s face eased as her gaze dropped to the baby in Courtney’s arms, and a visible warmth rose in her face.

“This is Jamie,” Courtney said quickly, pleased at her aunt’s reaction. As she reached for the baby, Courtney promptly handed Jamie into her waiting arms. “He’s probably ready for his nightly bottle and another diaper change.”

“A baby boy.” Her aunt’s voice was soft and loving as she gazed at the infant. “How old?”

“Four months,” Courtney answered. Her aunt must have forgotten that she’d told her his age in one of her letters. At the time, Courtney had been concerned that Devanna wouldn’t appreciate all the fuss and paraphernalia that a baby required, but that worry was put to rest as she watched her aunt sit on the couch, cuddling Jamie.

How sad that Devanna had never had any children of her own, Courtney thought, watching her with the baby. Her aunt had married a man twice her age, and when he died, she’d inherited a modest lifetime income that allowed her to withdraw into herself and live as a recluse. She must be close to fifty years old now.

Courtney’s mother had rarely heard from her sister. Apparently there had been some friction between them. After her mother’s death, an exchange of Christmas cards with her aunt had been the extent of their communication until Devanna learned of the death of Courtney’s husband and the birth of the baby. No one was more surprised than Courtney when her aunt made the effort to mend family ties. As Courtney watched Devanna with the baby, she was glad she’d decided to come.

Glancing around the houseboat, Courtney could see her aunt had made little, if any, preparation for their arrival. In fact, it didn’t even look as if Devanna had gotten herself settled in. A galleylike kitchen area at one side of the room had numerous boxes sitting on the counters. There were stacks of books on the floor waiting to be put on shelves. Clothes were piled on chairs in the sitting and dining areas.

“Haven’t had time to straighten up,” her aunt said as she watched Courtney’s gaze pass over the clutter.

“I thought you had hired a woman to help you.”

“She didn’t work out,” she answered flatly. “I had to get rid of her.” For an instant it seemed as if a faint smile hovered on her lips.

“Oh, that’s too bad,” Courtney answered, puzzled why her aunt would be pleased about the situation. “Well, I’m here now, and you can tell me what needs to be done.”

Jamie let out a wail that settled matters for the moment. Courtney hurriedly heated a bottle and accepted her aunt’s offer to give it to him.

“Thanks, I’ll go bring everything in from the car. I need to boil some bottles and water for a new batch of formula.”

“You’ll teach me how,” her aunt ordered in a commanding tone that startled Courtney. “You’ll show me everything.”

“Yes, of course,” she responded, totally surprised, not knowing exactly how to handle her aunt’s insistence on caring for the baby.

Courtney made several trips up and down the narrow steps as she unloaded the car. The houseboat was a big disappointment. All imaginary pleasures of living on the water quickly faded as Courtney realized what little privacy she was going to have.

Having seen Hollywood’s version of romantic life aboard such accommodations, Courtney had allowed herself a foolish hope that her visit would be, at the very least, a change from her humdrum routine. The present situation mocked those idle fantasies.

There was more living space in some of the modern RVs Courtney had seen. The houseboat sitting area was divided from a small galley by a counter and barstools. The kitchen included a three-burner cooktop and a small refrigerator crowded with just the things Courtney had unloaded from the ice chest. No dishwasher, but it was blessed with a compact clothes dryer mounted on top of a washing machine. At least she wouldn’t have go out every day to wash the baby’s soiled clothes.

There were two sleeping quarters, small but private.

“That’s mine,” her aunt said in a warning tone to Courtney and she quickly shut the door of one, as if to emphasize that it was off-limits. “You and the baby take that one,” she said curtly, pointing to a door opposite hers.

The sleeping compartment was postage-stamp sized with bunk beds, a small closet, and barely enough floor space to turn around. Courtney set Jamie’s bassinet on the lower bunk, settled him in it, and eyed the top bed with less than enthusiasm.

“It’s plenty big,” her aunt said in an argumentative tone when Courtney didn’t say anything.

“And the bathroom?”

“Right there.” Devanna pointed out a minuscule bathroom crammed in between the two sleeping compartments. The floor space was scarcely big enough for the necessities of toilet and shower, and a couple of small shelves were already filled with her aunt’s toiletries.

Courtney’s expression must have registered her irritation because her aunt quickly opened the door of a small cupboard under the sink. “You can put your stuff here. And there are some extra towels for the baby—and you.”

Devanna smiled with such satisfaction that Courtney was taken aback by the sudden warmth in her eyes. Maybe everything was going to work out after all.

“I’ll get Jamie bedded down for the night, and then we can talk.” Courtney said, anxious to keep her aunt in a good mood. Even though she was dead tired, she knew it was important that they get off to a good start.

Her aunt’s behavior was not at all what Courtney had expected from her friendly letter. Except for her loving attention to the baby, Devanna seemed totally indifferent to Courtney’s presence. Her responses to questions were vague and noncommittal. Even though Courtney knew her aunt had been a recluse most of her life, her lack of social skills was startling.

As soon as Jamie nodded off to sleep, Courtney returned to the sitting room to have some quiet time with her aunt, but she wasn’t there and her sleeping compartment door was closed.

Courtney made a cup of tea, hoping it would help her stay awake until her aunt returned and they could chat. She eased down in a recliner chair that was as well worn as the couch.

The dank, musty smell that Courtney had noticed before seemed even stronger as she sat there in the muted light. The constant sound of a mooring chain clanking against the dock scraped her nerves. As the wind battering the houseboat grew stronger, the ever-present movement of the floors increased under her feet. A sharp peppering of rain against the black windows created a trapped feeling that finally brought her to her feet.

She’d waited long enough. The get-acquainted conversation with her aunt would have to wait until tomorrow. Jamie was sleeping peacefully as she kissed his warm cheek. Just looking at him, she had a sense of purpose in her life that she’d never had before.

As she settled in the upper bunk, a cacophony of weird noises echoed across the water. They were like voices rising and falling in warning. Courtney tried to close her ears to them. Tomorrow in the sunshine, everything would feel different.

Wouldn’t it?